1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to containers and, more particularly, to a plastic multi-chamber bottle, made by a blowing process, especially for separately holding different products, as well as to a closure for such a multi-chamber bottle.
2. Background Information
Multi-chamber bottles are already on the market. They are used, for instance, as vessels for two-component adhesive. To that end, the chambers are completely separated from one another and each is provided with its own neck. A separate closure is required for each neck.
German Patent Disclosure DE-A-42 19 598, hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety, discloses a dual-chamber bottle that comprises two separate bottles, resting side by side on one another, each with its own bottle neck. The two bottles are held together by a common plastic closure and can be closed by it. It proves disadvantageous that this dual-chamber bottle comprises two parts and accordingly cannot be produced in one piece by blowing. U.S. Pat. No. 5,765,725, hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety, describes a cylindrical bottle that is divided by a dividing wall into two chambers of semicircular cross section. This reference says nothing about how such a bottle is to be produced. Production by blowing from a length of tubing is precluded, because a dividing wall has to be created.
In European Patent Application EP-A-0 875 460, which was not published before the priority date of the present application and is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety, a plastic multi-chamber bottle made by the blowing process is described that has at least two separate chambers whose walls are joined together by a rib and which have an opening inside or under a common neck. For bottles with chambers completely separated from one another, a spout is described, which terminates the neck and has channels that lead from the openings of the chambers to a spout part. The spout part is secured to the bottle by a fastening part. To that end, the fastening part has detent protrusions that snap onto an annular protrusion of the neck. Closing the various pour openings of the multi-chamber bottle requires additional closure means.
It is the object of the present invention to create a plastic multi-chamber bottle that can be made by the blowing process for separately holding different products, which requires only a single closure. A closure of this kind is also to be created.
According to a first embodiment of the present invention, a multi-chamber bottle made of plastic and produced by a blowing process is provided, comprising at least two chambers separate from one another, whose walls are joined together by a rib, wherein each of the chambers, inside or below a common neck, has a respective opening; and a closure having at least two channels, wherein each channel leads from an opening of one chamber to one of at least two pour openings, and having at least one cap for closing at least one of the pour openings.
One advantageous version of the multi-chamber bottle provides that the opening of one of the chambers is embodied as circular and disposed coaxially to the neck; that the neck has a thread, and that the closure is provided with a thread corresponding to this thread. This has the advantage that the closure can be joined in a simple way to the multi-chamber bottle by a screw connection.
The opening of one of the chambers can be embodied in circular form and can be disposed coaxially to the neck. The opening is also advantageously calibrated. This makes it possible for one of the channels to be disposed coaxially to the neck and embodied as a tubular attachment, which when the closure is in place protrudes fittingly into the coaxial opening of the chamber. This assures a tight connection of the chamber to the pour opening.
It is also possible for one or more or all of the openings of the chambers to be disposed eccentrically to the neck. Furthermore, it is possible to provide a partition in the closure, the partition extending to the bottom of the neck and separating the channels from one another. A flange that rests sealingly on the neck is advantageously provided on the closure.
According to a second embodiment of the present invention, a closure for a multi-chamber bottle is provided, the bottle having at least two chambers separate from one another, whose walls are joined together by a rib, wherein each of the chambers has one opening inside or below a common neck, and having at least two channels in order to form passageways for the contents of the chambers to corresponding pour openings, the closure comprising at least one cap for closing one or more pour openings; and fastening means for mounting the closure on the multi-chamber bottle.
Advantageously, one of the channels is disposed coaxially to the fastening means. The fastening means are expediently formed by a thread. The channel disposed coaxially to the neck can be formed by a tubular attachment. The attachment then acts as a coupling to the corresponding chamber of the bottle. The tubular attachment is advantageously dimensioned such that with the closure in place, it engages the calibrated opening of the associated chamber in a sealing manner. Expediently, the closure has a partition, which extends from the spout through the bottle downward, so that when the closure in place the partition rests on the bottom of the neck.